Big third quarter lifts Falcons past Waynesburg, 69-56
HILLER — It was a game of runs in the Section 4-AA opener for Waynesburg Central and Brownsville, but the Falcons turned it up in the second half with nine straight points and 21 points in third quarter for a 69-56 victory Friday night.
The Falcons (3-1, 1-0) sped up the game in the second half and used their transition game to get the offense back in sync for a season-high 69 points.
“We had to turn it up a notch to start the third and we had to get back to the way we are capable of playing,” Brownsville coach Brian Brashear said. “We were more aggressive in our fast-break game and we picked up the pace. I think we caught them off guard, and once we get some transition hoops the rest of our offense started to fall for us.”
Brownsville had four players in double figures, led by Noah Brown, who poured in 19 points. Tyron Brown came off the bench with 13 points, while Andre Smith added 14 and Marcellous Grooms collected 12.
“Noah is a special athlete,” Brashear said. “He has the height, but he is also a good ball-handler for his size and can drive the lane from the top of the key. He had a great game for us. We can’t be a one-man show and when you spread the ball around good things will happen.”
The Raiders (2-2, 0-1) went toe-to-toe with the defending section champions (Brownsville won Section 5-AA last year) after dropping down from Class AAA the previous six seasons.
Mitch Warman scored a game-high 24 points for Waynesburg, followed by 18 points from Dom Sarra.
“We had three or four quick turnovers to start the second half and they converted them into some easy buckets,” Waynesburg Central coach Dave Sarra said. “We missed a lot of easy, inside shots in the third and I think if we would have made those we would have been right there with them. Brownsville is an athletic team and they played their tempo.”
Trailing by six at halftime, the Falcons exploded in the third period with a 9-0 run courtesy of an inside hoop by Noah Brown, a free throw by Travis Bevard and a pair of treys by Grooms.
After the Raiders brought the deficit down to 39-37 with a bucket from Warman, Brownsville ended the third with an 8-2 rally to take a 47-39 lead into the fourth.
Tryon Brown got things started off in the fourth with an old-fashioned three-point play to push Brownsville’s lead to 50-39.
A transition lay-up by Smith made it 60-43 and forced Waynesburg to call a timeout with 4:29 remaining in the contest.
“We finished around the hoop better tonight,” Brashear said. “We had some outside shots and we moved without the ball to create some scoring chances. Everybody knows we are a running team and like to run up-tempo, but it was nice to make some shots in the half-court sets.”
The Raiders tallied five straight points after the brief pause in action, but the Falcons countered with a 7-4 to bring things back in their favor.
Waynesburg tallied four of the final six points, but it was not enough as Brownsville prevailed for the section victory.
After the Falcons grabbed an 18-13 lead at the end of one quarter, the Raiders weathered the barrage with a 9-6 rally to start the second quarter.
Smith scored a bucket for Brownsville to give the Falcons a 26-22 lead, but Waynesburg responded with the final 10 points to take a 32-26 lead into halftime.
Warman totaled 12 of the Raiders’ 19 points in the second stanza.
“We executed our offense in the first half,” coach Sarra said. “We didn’t have any sloppy passes and we stopped the ball higher in their transition game. We forced some turnovers and got some lay-ups. Mitch and Dom got their points, but we had a couple of guys in foul trouble that didn’t get their points. We need that balance on offense.”